Investigate
Know your market
- Get to know your market — really know your market
- Understand your customer — who they are, what they like
- Decode the competitive environment
- Zero in on industry trends
Investigate
Grow
Navigate
Sell
Why choose us
We empower clients to optimize and develop management, marketing and sales practices. We work with small and medium sized businesses across a range of industries.
We are uniquely positioned to deliver innovative solutions that encompass the entire spectrum of business and marketing tools and techniques. Our specialty is strategy and marketing. Understanding the dynamics of the world our clients work in, their market position, and their brand image leads to ensuring that the elements work together.
We provide intuitive intelligence about the market. We streamline your business strategy and make your plans powerful and measurable. An added benefit — we can grow your staff and their competence to achieve your goals.
The famous quote “Nothing happens until someone sells something” emphasizes the importance of sales. Preparing for sales, making sales happen and maintaining sales is where we have lots of experience and the skills.
We love what we do and we are passionate about working with vibrant and ambitious companies. We bring fresh insights, business savvy and marketing sense, along with integrity, a wealth of experience and a bias for action.
Our approach
01
We mentor, coach, guide and inspire you and your staff.
02
We get to know you and your business, and your challenges.
03
We learn about the market you operate in, and your competition.
04
We work with you to plan, strategize and change.
05
We help implement your plans and strategies, and make them a reality.
Why we are different
We bring vision, determination, creativity and love for our craft. You will find us keen, caring, practical and results-driven.
Contact todayWe are different. We bring actionable solutions, and we work with you to make them happen.
We are small and well experienced. We bring vision, determination, creativity and love for our craft.
We get results. We work with B2B firms, but we believe business is Human to Human. Results are measurable and tied to your goals.
We give clear direction. Work is presented simply, with responsibilities and a measure for success.
We communicate. We update you on what we have done, the results, and what we are planning next.
Featured services
Knowing the market, the customer and the competition is crucial to business success. We bring focus and then help you act on it.
Start a conversationSuccess stories
Food
We love food — not only to eat, not only to cook, but also as a form of creativity and a business challenge. When a food creator came to us with a product that was new and different, we jumped right in.
Mia is a passionate foodie who had two products from her native South America. From her catering work, she knew they would be popular in Canada — but she had no idea where or how to begin.
We built a business plan: company setup, product names and niches, manufacturing, pricing, budget, and how to sell. We researched competitors and tested the condiments with food connoisseurs to sharpen the marketing language.
We secured spots in gourmet food stores, a food market, and a mainstream store with a specialty section. Store demos drew line-ups. Today the company is thriving, online sales are growing, and Mia’s products sit on shelves across Canada and the USA.
“You got me from the kitchen to the store shelves — I can cook but the business side of it is where I really needed you.”
Financial services
A medium-sized financial company had strong client relationships but a declining customer base. They asked us for a marketing strategy that retains and attracts customers — and insights to tweak the services they offer.
People are funny about financial issues — they don’t like to talk about money. We had productive conversations with each customer segment and found the key reasons they stay loyal. Analysis of similar institutions revealed a fairly unique niche the company could build on.
We held customer-only events with industry leaders, developed personalized service recommendations, and designed processes that made financial discussions more comfortable. Messaging became more targeted. Customers began referring friends and family.
Personalized marketing replaced the old “no marketing budget” mindset. The customer base grew, more clients stayed loyal, and some increased their share of wallet with the company.
B2B
A seaweed-based skin care and natural health company needed a business growth plan — and a restructuring focused on commercializing their products.
For 20+ years the principals — a marine scientist and a pharmacist — researched seaweed. They had personal care products and three pharmaceuticals, but sales needed attention beyond events and conferences.
This was a B2B challenge: get products onto shelves in stores, clinics, salons and spas, and increase traction with naturopathic specialists. We met each staff member, unlocked human potential, and helped management give people decision-making authority and inter-departmental teams.
Outcomes included a clearer company structure, target markets and sales channels, key messaging, sales training, territories, success metrics, and a five-year marketing plan. Skin care now has a strong following in high-end stores and spas; the pharmaceuticals are gaining traction with a naturopathic spokesperson.
How we work
We deliver planning, strategy and research, and guide you to enhance your business and marketing savvy. Our focus is Business to Business firms, but we believe that ultimately business is Human to Human, and we design our solutions that way.
Our work is presented simply and clearly. We summarize the responsibilities of each of our team and your team members. We design workable initiatives, include measures for success, and update you regularly so we are all operating on the same page.
“You got me from the kitchen to the store shelves — I can cook but the business side of it is where I really needed you.”
Food entrepreneur — client
Our team
President & Founder
Gail loves the challenge of setting a business on an enhanced path to success. She has empowered many companies to conduct business more effectively. She has been the inspiration and guiding force behind excellent strategic initiatives, effective market positioning, and successful product launches.
For many clients, she has not only streamlined their business and marketing efforts, but educated their staff to be more effective marketers and researchers. She inspires clients and works collaboratively to develop realistic, actionable and measurable plans.
Chief Strategist
Shannon’s hands-on approach and ability to create a shared vision among team members is unique. She is a skilled coach, advisor, and guide, and is particularly effective in creating plans and processes that really resonate with client companies.
Solving problems through conversation and converging ideas is her style. Whether facilitating public consultations, working with managers on realistic growth plans, or delivering skills training, she brings clear strategic thinking and relationship building to her clients.
Partner & Senior Consultant
Peggy is the consummate problem solver and strategist. Her facility for development and implementation of truly actionable plans — strategic, business and tactical — has benefitted both government and public-private partnerships.
Successfully leading programs that require collaboration between industry groups and government stakeholders has earned her national recognition. Working with clients, her teamwork, communication, creativity and enthusiasm are a win for clients and the Incisive team.
Sales Development Specialist
Stuart is everything sales. His forte is adapting sales techniques and solutions to his client companies, and making sales happen. He has spent the last 30 years perfecting his sales skills and building relationships with key decision makers.
His wheelhouse covers building and managing sales teams, establishing performance metrics, coaching sales staff, and developing strong client relationships. He starts by understanding the business, then charts a path to reach sales goals.
Let’s talk
We love what we do and we are passionate about working with vibrant and ambitious companies.